Shorewood seniors go out with a win
By Tony Dondero
Enterprise reporter
SHORELINE
The last time Becky Farden and her Shorewood teammates beat rival Shorecrest was her sophomore year, on the road.
So it was extra special when Thunderbirds snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 49-43 win Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Shorewood gym in Farden’s final high school game.
Shorewood took the lead for good late in the second quarter and started the third quarter on a 16-7 run to put Shorecrest in a hole it couldn’t dig out of.
“We had struggled with that the whole season coming out with a strong third quarter,” said Farden, a three-year varsity starter who finished with 10 points. “This game we finally did the things we tried to push ourselves to do. Like we just didn’t come out flat, we came out with pressure, intensity and I wish we could have done that in every game we played this year.”
Shorewood lost four league games this season by five points or less including a one-point heartbreaker to Meadowdale, currently the sixth-ranked team in Class 3A.
But this time, the T-birds would not let the game slip away. Shorecrest got within six in the fourth quarter but Shorewood made free throws in the final minutes to put the game away.
Junior post Taylor Nephew led Shorewood with 14 points and sophomore guard Lisa Echert added 13.
“It’s a good win, very much a team win,” Shorewood coach Nina Lowe said. “Everybody contributed tonight. It’s great for these seniors to go out with a win.”
Lowe, who played for Shorewood, never lost to Shorecrest as a player but the win Thursday was her first over the Scots as a coach.
Shorewood’s defense played well and the T-birds crashed the boards especially during the third quarter when they built a 14-point lead.
The T-birds (2-16 Western Conference South Division, 3-17 overall) forced 13 Shorecrest turnovers while only committing nine themselves.
Missed layups and free throws (the Scots shot only 36 percent, making 5-of-14 shots) cost Shorecrest a chance to win.
“We got to give Shorewood credit,” Shorecrest coach Ed Wissing said. “They did a good job in their half-court defense of getting hands in the passing lanes.”
On offense the T-birds shot 38 percent from the field (18-for-48) and 65 percent from the foul line (11-for-17).
Shorecrest ended the regular season 5-13 in the Wesco South and 6-14 overall. Senior post Gloria Tseng led the Scots with 13 points. Shorecrest shot only 33 percent from the field (18-for-55), with two 3-pointers by freshman Janie Uppinghouse (eight points).
The Scots, the Wesco’s fourth seed entering the 3A playoffs, host Everett the No. 5 seed at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17 in play-in game. The winner faces Lynnwood, the No. 3 seed, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19 at Meadowdale High School.
“As a team we need to do better moving off the ball and protecting the ball,” Wissing said.
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